U.S. Missile Stockpiles Were Significantly Depleted By Iran War

THAAD system during a live-fire test on September 10, 2013 in the vicinity of the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/ Reagan Test Site and surrounding areas in the western Pacific. U.S. Army\Missile Defense Agency

The United States military has significantly depleted its stockpile of key missiles during the war with Iran and created a “near-term risk” of running out of ammunition in a future conflict should one arise in the next few years, CNN reported on April 21.

The report cited experts in addition to three people familiar with recent internal Defense Department stockpile assessments.

Over the last seven weeks of war, the U.S. military has expended at least 45% of its stockpile of Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM); at least half of its inventory of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor missiles, which are designed to intercept ballistic missiles; and nearly 50% of its stockpile of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles, according to a new analysis conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The US military has also expended approximately 30% of its Tomahawk missile stockpile; more than 20% of its stockpile of long-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM); and approximately 20% of its SM-3 and SM-6 interceptor missiles, per CSIS, which noted that it would take around four to five years to replace those systems.

Those numbers closely align with classified Pentagon data about US stockpiles, according to the sources familiar with the assessment who spoke with CNN.

The CSIS estimates the costs of various missiles and interceptors as follows: a PrSM missile at $1.6 million, a THAAD interceptor at $15.5 million, a Patriot interceptor at $3.9 million, a Tomahawk missile at $2.6 million, a JASSM missile at $2.6 million, an SM-3 interceptor at $28.7 million, and an SM-6 interceptor at $5.3 million.

In the short term, the U.S. likely maintains enough bombs and missiles to continue operations against Iran if the ceasefire collapses. However, the number of critical munitions remaining in U.S. stockpiles is no longer sufficient to confront a near-peer adversary, like China, and it will likely take years before the inventory of those weapons returns to pre-war levels, the CSIS analysis concluded.

“The high munitions expenditures have created a window of increased vulnerability in the western Pacific,” Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel and one of the authors of the CSIS report, told CNN. “It will take one to four years to replenish these inventories and several years after that to expand them to where they need to be.”

While these numbers are not surprising, they do highlight the immense cost the U.S. paid for the war on Iran. The cost for Israel was likely much less.

On the other side, a recent report by The New York Times, based on U.S. intelligence assessments, revealed that Iran likely still has access to around 70 percent of its pre-war ballistic missile stockpiles, and around 60 percent of its missile launchers. The Islamic Republic also still retains around 40% of its drone arsenal, according to the report.

The ceasefire with Iran — already extended by U.S. President Donald Trump — could collapse at any moment. An agreement remains highly unlikely.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: